59 
The lecturer proceeded to describe the building and con- 
struction of the church. The Celtic crosses now in the church- 
yard were there before the church itself was erected and were 
probably meeting places for worship. They differed in 
essential details from the well-known crosses in the Isle of 
Man, and were certainly not erected as monuments to the 
dead. When the church was first built, it was known as 
the “ White Church under the Lea,” the “ Lea ” probably 
being the hill now known as the Nab. The lecturer described 
at length the architecture of the church, which was erected 
by Peter de Cestria in 1294. The arch over the door was 
Norman in construction. The fabric and main part of the 
building was still the same as when put up in 1294. The 
great window at the East End was erected in 1400. The 
tower was built in 1450, and later the windows were altered 
to their present shape. The armorial bearings now to be 
seen in the church were put there by Dr. Whitaker in 1810. 
He placed them there as a record of the great and noble 
families that had been connected with the church. The 
Towneley, the Dean, the Ormerod, the Whitaker families are 
all represented there. The internal features of the church 
possess many and interesting characteristics. Most of the 
stalls in the church have been brought from the Abbey. 
In places they have been repaired, as can be seen on close 
inspection. The inscriptions in the church are probably 
unique in the whole world. No other existing church so far 
as the lecturer had been able to learn, had any inscriptions 
on the Misereres. Many of them were quoted and translated. 
The Altar, the Hermitage, and the St. Nicholas Chantry and 
St. Mary’s Chantry were also dwelt upon. 
The lecturer gave an amusing account of the disputes 
which took place at one time in respect of the right cf pre- 
cedence in the sittings of the church. After specifically 
appointing places for the principal families of the district, 
the ecclesiastic before whom the question came decided that 
the rest of the sittings should be free, so that the “ good 
wives ” of Whalley might be induced to come early to church. 
The lecturer related how much of his information had been 
obtained, and in concluding said that Burnley must always 
look to the church of Whalley as her mother church. 
